Portrait of Lara Bacino-Althaus, the now retiring psychology instructor. Photo by Tanatswa Mutamira.
Lara Bacino-Althaus, psychology instructor, is retiring from her position at Lake Land College (LLC) at the end of this fall semester. Lara has been working at LLC for about 28 and a half years and has been working in the counseling department for 12 years. She went back to school to get her masters in teaching and came back to teach here at LLC because she fell in love with teaching after her first ever class and has been teaching since then. Lara taught six different courses and is currently teaching “Introduction to Psychology,” “Abnormal Psychology” and “Social Psychology.”
Lara has impacted many students through her teaching style. Olivia Brauer, who majors in radiology, said, “Love her, really great teacher and she explains the content really well.”
Devy Casey, a veterinary science major, said, “No other classes are like Lara’s.”
Lara is retiring to spend more time with her daughter, who lives in New York City and is an actress. Lara does not want to miss any of her daughter’s performances. “No one knows when they are going to leave the earth; people on their deathbed mostly regret not having spent enough time with their loved ones; no one has ever complained of not working more,” Lara stated. She has enjoyed her time here at LLC.
Noella Kasera, a criminal justice major, said, “Lara is a really good teacher; she is one of the best instructors that I have had since I arrived here in the United States. I started recommending Lara’s class to some of my friends for next semester ‘til I found out she is retiring. So sad, but I am happy for her and wish her the best”.
